Fewer MDs Are Choosing Pediatrics. The Ones Who Apply Are Interviewed Almost Everywhere.
Pediatrics has 15% fewer MD applicants than at this point four years ago, while applicants from international medical schools are up 56%. For an MD who does apply, the odds are among the best in the match: the median program interviewed 86% of MDs who signaled it and 59% of those who didn’t.
By Rezumab · · Data as of September 23, 2026
When programs opened ERAS 2027 applications, 1,744 MD students had applied to pediatrics, down from 2,039 on the same day of ERAS 2023. DOs are down 3%. International graduates went from 1,647 to 2,569 and are now 51% of the pool.
The total pool has grown 14% because of them, so pediatrics looks healthy from the outside. For an MD student, it’s a different specialty than it was four years ago: less MD competition, and interview rates that make it one of the most accessible fields in the match.
Rezumab read every pediatrics table in the AAMC’s ERAS data: five seasons of applicants and applications by MD, DO and international graduate, signals by program, and how often 198 programs interviewed applicants who did and didn’t signal them. Here’s what we found.
International graduates are now half of pediatrics applicants
| Season | All | MD | DO | Intl. grads | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERAS 2027so far, vs. same day of 2026 | ▼−1.2% | ▼−3.9% | ▲+1.6% | ▼−0.2% | ▼−7.4% |
| ERAS 2026vs. 2025 | ▲+9.0% | ▼−3.4% | ▼−5.4% | ▲+25.9% | ▲+1.8% |
| ERAS 2025vs. 2024 | ▲+13.6% | ▲+2.7% | ▲+7.7% | ▲+28.8% | ▲+1.9% |
| ERAS 2024vs. 2023 | ▼−7.2% | ▼−10.3% | ▼−6.4% | ▼−3.7% | ▼−9.5% |
MDs apply to few programs, and to pediatrics only
The median MD sent 29 pediatrics applications in ERAS 2023 and sends 23 now; the middle half send 17 to 31. DOs send more (33), and so do international graduates (30).
MDs also rarely apply anywhere else. Only 2% of MD pediatrics applicants also applied to categorical internal medicine this cycle, against 60% of international graduates. 57% of international graduates also applied to family medicine.
| Also applied to, ERAS 2027 | MD | DO | Intl. graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Medicine (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 7% | 3% | 24% |
| Transitional YearPGY-1 year | 6% | 4% | 11% |
| Internal Medicine/Pediatrics | 5% | 5% | 11% |
| Dermatology | 5% | – | – |
| Child Neurology | 4% | 3% | 5% |
| Internal Medicine (categorical) | 2% | 5% | 60% |
| Psychiatry | 2% | 4% | – |
| Family Medicine | 2% | 7% | 57% |
Share of each group’s pediatrics applicants who also applied to that program type. A dash means the program type wasn’t among that group’s most common. Source: AAMC ERAS Statistics; Rezumab analysis.
For an MD, most pediatrics applications lead to an interview
Show as table
| Did not signal | Signaled | |
|---|---|---|
| MD, 2025 | 52% | 87% |
| MD, 2026 | 59% | 86% |
| DO, 2025 | 32% | 84% |
| DO, 2026 | 35% | 83% |
| Intl. graduates, 2025 | 6% | 26% |
| Intl. graduates, 2026 | 6% | 24% |
In ERAS 2026, the median pediatrics program interviewed 86% of the MDs who signaled it and 59% of the MDs who didn’t. The unsignaled rate rose from 52% the year before. At 93% of programs, at least one in ten unsignaled MDs got an interview.
The picture is very different by applicant type. DOs did nearly as well with a signal (83%) but much worse without one (35%). International graduates, now half the pool, were interviewed 24% of the time with a signal and 6% without.
Programs get more signals from international graduates than from MDs
The median pediatrics program has received 30 signals from international graduates this cycle and 17 from MDs. Last cycle the median program in the AAMC’s interview data invited about 257 applicants for a median of 13 first-year positions, far more room than in most specialties.
MD applicants are also the choosiest about setting: 42% told programs they prefer a suburban or urban program and 13% urban only, while 80% of international graduates stated no preference.
Total opening-day applications to pediatrics are down 13% since ERAS 2023. In ERAS 2026, the median program received 45 applications from MDs, down from 75, and 345 from international graduates.
What the numbers mean for an MD applicant
The MD competition is shrinking. There are 15% fewer MD pediatrics applicants than at this point in ERAS 2023.
Unsignaled applications still work. At the median program, an MD without a signal was interviewed 59% of the time. In pediatrics, unlike most specialties, applying beyond your signals pays.
Spend signals on reaches. With a signal the rate rose to 86%, and 92% of programs interviewed at least half of the MDs who signaled them. A signal adds the most at programs that would otherwise be a stretch.
Setting and location will decide more than odds. With interviews this attainable, the harder choice for most MDs is where they want to train.